Toggle wrench with compact elevated movable jaw



March 22, 1966 D. D. PADEN TOGGLE WRENCH WITH COMPACT ELEVATED MOVABLE JAW Filed May 25, 1964 mw m lNl/ENTOR D. D. PADEN A TTORNEV United States Patent 3,241,410 TOGGL'E WRENCH WITH COMPACT ELEVATED MOVABLE JAW Dale D. Paden, 1682 Whitmore St, Omaha, Nebr. Filed May 25, 1964, Ser. No. 369,777 2 Claims. (Cl. 81-370) This invention relates to combination quick-set and vise-grip wrenches wherein toggle action levers in the handles of a wrench pivotably urge an elongate shank and associated movable jaw toward a stationary jaw with a gripping action. In particular, this invention provides a novel relationship between the movable jaw and its elongate shank carrier so that there is no interference between the levers and the movable jaw.

While there has been wide public acceptance of the toggle wrench described in my earlier Patent Number 2,905,038 issued September 22, 1959, entitled, Toggle Wrench With Slidable Adjustment for Movable Jaw, there have been problems coincident therewith in gripping narrow objects. The movable jaw of my earlier device is slidably attached to the elongate shank by means of a cavitate lower extension thereof that completely surrounds the elongate shank, .a spring-loaded block carried by the cavity bearing against the shank bottom surface so as to slidably attach the movable jaw to the shank. When gripping very narrow objects between the jaws, the cavitate lower extension inevitably collides with the lever pivotably connected t the shank so that operation of the wrench is impaired or even prevented. An effort to prevent this collision by off-setting the lower extension in a direction away from the gripping surface of the movable jaw has not been found practical because this necessitates a lengthening of the shank so as to firmly support the movable jaw over the desired adjustable length, with the result that the wrench becomes awkward and cumbersome. In other words, with an oil set movable jaw lower extension, a terminal portion of the shank can be used only as a support for the lower extension.

There have also been operational problems with my earlier vise-grip structure in effecting a release of the jaws after they have been locked about an object. Generally, during the release operation, one hand is required to hold the wrench while the other hand is employed to turn an adjusting screw that releases the jaws. There are many instances wherein the operator cannot devote both hands to the wrench during the release operation.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a movable jaw, the gripping surface of which can be moved very close to the stationary jaw, without collision between "any part of the movable jaw and the lever pivotably connected to the elongate shank.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a compact movable jaw that can be slidably adjusted over the entire length of the shank, the movable jaw being positionable at any point along the shank.

It is yet another object of the present invention to simplify the release of the toggle wrench locked jaws by eliminating the need to devote a separate hand to a separate release mechanism, but instead, making it possible for the same hand holding the wrench to release the locked jaws.

These and other objects and advantages are accomplished by means of a journalled cam-like convex release lever and by means of an upright movable jaw elevated wholly above the pivotal connection between the shank and lever, said movable jaw having a longitudinal cavity immediately behind the gripping surface thereof, said cavity being provided with a spring-loaded wide block urged against the ratchet teeth of the shank top surface.

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description taken in connection with the drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of the improved quick-set and vise-grip wrench in the locked position with a portion of the handle broken away to illustrate the mounting of the shank therein.

FIGURE 2 is a sectional plan view through the wrench taken along line 2-2 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional View taken along line 3-3 of FIGURE 2 so as to show the tiltability of the movable jaw.

In the accompanying drawings and in the following specification, the same reference characters are used to designate the same parts and elements throughout, and in which the numeral 10 refers to the invention in its entirety, numeral 11 indicating a stationary jaw attached to the end of a handle 12, the handle being U-shaped in cross-section. An elongate shank 13, having ratchet teeth 14 along the top sunface thereof, is pivotably connected to handle 12 by means of a pin 15 piercing the handle. A lever 16 is pivotably attached to a downwardly extending tongue 22 of shank 13 by means of rod 17 piercing said lever 16 and shank 13. Lever 16 is positioned to co-act with handle 12 to provide a toggle action through a bar-like toggle link 18 and an adjustable screw 19. A movable jaw 20, located wholly above rod 17, is slidably mounted along the shank 13.

Stationary jaw 11, having gripping surface 61, is carried by -a stock 21 that extends from the handle 12, and the handle, which is U-shaped in cross-section, receives tongue 22 that extends downwardly from the lower portion of shank 13. Pin 15 pierces through the shank tongue 22 and side walls 23 of the handle providing a pivotal connection of the shank tongue in the handle. Shank 13 is T-shaped in cross section, having a wide flange 24 along the top side and a narrow web 25 along the lower side. The top surface of wide flange 24 is provided with slightly flattened ratchet teeth 14.

Movable jaw 20, having gripping surface 62, is slidably mounted along the shank 13. The lowest extremity of movable jaw 20 is comprised of arms 31 and 32 located wholly above rod 17 and above the bottom surface of shank 13. A spring 27 is positioned in a longitudinal cavity 28 in the movable jaw 20, the cavity 28 being substantially perpendicular to shaft 13. Spring 27 urges a block 29 against the slightly flattened ratchet teeth 14, said block 29 having a cross-sectional dimension wider than the spacing of the ratchet teeth, so that block 29 freely rides along teeth 14 when movable jaw 20 is moved along shank 13. Spring 27 also urges the movable jaw 20 and its associated pawl 26 upwardly away from ratchet teeth 14 whereby arms 31 and 32 are in firm wide areacontact with the underside of wide flange 24, as is shown in FIGURE 2. Because of this firm wide area contact, the movable jaw 20 will slide along shank 13 only with comparative difliculty. As indicated by the broken lines in FIGURE 3, clockwise pressure directed upon movable jaw 20 tilts movable jaw 20 so that one corner 43 thereof is in line contact with ratchet teeth 14, moves pawl 26 further away from the ratchet teeth, and tilts arm 31 so that a corner 44 is in mere line contact with the underside of wide flange 24. This tilting motion decreases the original wide area contact between the movable jaw and the shank bottom to two narrow lines of contact thus making the movable jaw 20 slidably adjustable along shank 13 with comparative ease.

Lever 16 is pivotably connected to shank tongue 22 by means of rod 17 piercing the downwardly extending shank tongue 22 and ears 33 of lever 16 that enclose shank tongue 22. A bar-like toggle link 18 is pivotably connected to the upper portion 34 of lever 16 by means of pin 35, and the opposite end of toggle link 18 extends into the handle 12 and engages the inner terminus of adjusting screw 19. The lower portion of lever 16 is essentially collinear with upper portion 34, and is, for reasons to be developed later, herein designated as release lever 37. The release lever 37 is provided with a journalled tongue 38 extending into the cross-sectionally U-shaped upper portion 34, the release lever tongue 38 being pivotably connected to upper portion 34 by means of pin 39. Release lever tongue 38 is of cam-like convex configuration including a flattened portion 40 nearer to the toggle link 18.

The shank 13 and its associated movable jaw 20 are urged in a counter-clockwise direction, wherein the movable jaw is moved away from the stationary jaw 11, by a spring 41, one end of which is secured in the handle 12 and the other in an opening 42 in the shank tongue 22. By this means, the movable jaw 20 is drawn away from the stationary jaw 11 as soon as the lever 16 is released.

Operation of the toggle wrench is as follows. The movable jaw 20 is tilted with clockwise pressure directed toward stationary jaw 11, thus decreasing the original area contact with shank 13 to mere dual line contact at corners 43 and 44. In this tilted position, the movable jaw is easily moved along the shank to engage a nut, bolt, or other work, and with the adjusting screw 19 turned by the knurled head 45 to the correct position, the lever 16 is drawn toward the handle until pin 35 is rightward of rod 17, in which position, the parts are locked with the jaws gripping an object. Although, for the sake of clarity, FIGURE 1 shows a slight space between fiattened portion 410 and toggle link 18, in this locked position the two elements are actually touching. The pressure exerted by the work against movable jaw 20 compresses spring 27 and forces pawl 26 deeply between ratchet teeth 14. With the parts set in such positions, the jaws will remain in the same gripping relation until the movable jaw is moved away from the stationary jaw.

There are two alternative methods by which the movable jaw can be moved away from the stationary jaw while the wrench is in gripping relation. If one hand of the operator is free, the position of the movable jaw 20 can be changed by turning the knurled head 45 of screw 19. Alternatively, in the event one hand of the operator is not free, a couple fingers of that hand gripping the handle 12 and lever 16 therebetween, can be used to move the release lever 37 away from handle 12. The cam-like convex configuration of release lever tongue 38 provides a release mechanism of great leverage by which pin 35 can be moved leftwardly of rod 17 thus unlocking Wrench and moving movable jaw 20 away from stationary jaw 11 by means of spring 41.

From the foregoing, the construction and operation of the device will be readily understood and further explanation is believed to be unnecessary. However, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a toggle wrench, the combination comprising:

(A) A stationary jaw having a gripping surface,

(B) A handle, U-shaped in cross-section, extended from and integral with the stationary jaw,

(C) A shank of T-shaped cross-section, the flanged top surface thereof being provided with ratchet teeth, the lower web portion of said shank having a tongue downwardly extended into the handle, said shank tongue being pivotably connected to the handle by means of a pin piercing said handle,

(D) An upright movable jaw substantially perpendicular to and located wholly above the bottom surface of the shank, said movable jaw slidably surrounding the shank flanged top portion and having a pawl positioned to coact with the ratchet teeth, the gripping surface of the movable jaw being in registering relation with the stationary jaw, said elongate movable jaw being provided with a longitudinal cavity of a given depth whereby said cavity is located immediately behind the movable jaw gripping surface and is substantially perpendicular to said shank, said cavity containing a block having a cross-sectional dimension wider than the spacing of the ratchet teeth, said cavity also carrying spring means for urging said block firmly against the ratchet teeth,

(E) A lever pivotably connected to the shank by means of a rod piercing said shank, said levers being extended in operative relation to the handle,

(F) A toggle link pivotably connected to the lever and extended into the handle,

(G) An adjusting screw threaded into the handle and positioned to engage the end of the bar extended into the handle, and

(H) A spring connected to the handle and shank for actuating the shank to draw the shank and its associated movable jaw away from the stationary jaw.

2. The combination of claim 1 in which the lever comprises two, essentially collinear, segments including:

(A) An upper portion pivotably mounted to the lower portion of the shank, said toggle link being pivotably connected to the upper portion, and

(B) A release lever having a tongue extending into, and journalled by, the upper portion, said release lever tongue being pivotably connected to the upper portion by means of a pin passing through said upper portion, said release lever tongue being of camlike convex configuration including a flattened portion nearer to said toggle link whereby when said lever member is placed in locking position against the handle, the flattened portion of the cam is in firm abutment against the toggle link.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS La Pointe 81--370 

1. IN A TOGGLE WRENCH, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING: (A) A STATIONARY JAW HAVING A GRIPPING SURFACE, (B) A HANDLE, U-SHAPED IN CROSS-SECTION, EXTENDED FROM AND INTEGRAL WITH THE STATIONARY JAW, (C) A SHANK OF T-SHAPED CROSS-SECTION, THE FLANGED TOP SURFACE THEREOF BEING PROVIDED WITH RATCHET TEETH, THE LOWER WEB PORTION OF SAID SHANK HAVING A TONGUE DOWNWARDLY EXTENDED INTO THE HANDLE, SAID SHANK TONGUE BEING PIVOTABLY CONNECTED TO THE HANDLE BY MEANS OF A PIN PIERCING SAID HANDLE, (D) AN UPRIGHT MOVABLE JAW SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO AND LOCATED WHOLLY ABOVE THE BOTTOM SURFACE OF THE SHANK, SAID MOVABLE JAW SLIDABLY SURROUNDING THE SHANK FLANGED TOP PORTION AND HAVING A PAWL POSITIONED TO COACT WITH THE RATCHET TEETH, THE GRIPPING SURFACE OF THE MOVABLE JAW BEING IN REGISTERING RELATIONSHIP WITH THE STATIONARY JAW, SAID ELONGATE MOVABLE JAW BEING PROVIDED WITH A LONGITUDINAL CAVITY OF A GIVEN DEPTH WHEREBY SAID CAVITY IS LOCATED IMMEDIATELY BEHIND THE MOVABLE JAW GRIPPING SURFACE AND IS SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO SAID SHANK, SAID CAVITY CONTAINING A BLOCK HAVING A CROSS-SECTIONAL DIMENSION WIDER THAN THE SPACING OF THE RATCHET TEETH, SAID CAVITY ALSO CARRYING SPRING MEANS FOR URGING SAID BLOCK FIRMLY AGAINST THE RATCHET TEETH, 